For the second year in a row, the Sylvan Lake Wranglers are returning to the Heritage Junior B Hockey League (HJHL) finals as north division champions.
They’ll face the defending HJHL champion Okotoks CarStar Bisons, the same team the Wranglers lost to in the finals in 2023.
This time around they’ll be looking for revenge against the Bisons who swept Sylvan Lake a year ago.
The best-of-seven series begins this Saturday in Okotoks at 7:30 p.m. followed by Game 2 in Sylvan Lake on Sunday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the NexSource Centre.
Game 3 will be played Friday, March 22 at 8 p.m. in Okotoks, and Game 4 on Saturday in Sylvan Lake at 8 p.m.
If needed, Games 5, 6, and 7 will be played the following week.
The two teams, who entered the playoffs as the number one seeds, easily made it to the finals.
The Bisons only lost one game against the High River Flyers in the second round but have since won six straight games including a sweep in the semi-finals against the Rocky Mountain House Rams.
The Wranglers swept their second-round matchup with the Airdrie Techmation Thunder before knocking out the two-seeded Medicine Hat Cubs in four games in the semi-finals.
The Wranglers finished the regular season with a 33-3-2 record in the north division and were led offensively by forward Justin Gyori who scored 20 goals and 35 assists for 55 points in 37 games.
Rookie forward Owen Callow was close behind notching 17 goals and 34 assists for 51 points followed by Reed Sparrow who added 49 points.
Those interested in heading to Game 1 on the road can book a spot on the fan bus departing the Nexsource Centre with an extra stop at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre in Red Deer.